Collegio Sant’Anselmo convened its residents on 24 October 2026 for an autumn Day of Formation focused on the practical applications and challenges of artificial intelligence. The session, which explored the intersection of emerging technologies with study and ecclesial life, was led by Father Patrick Carter OSB, a monk of Clear Creek Abbey in Oklahoma.

As secretary of Abbot Primate Jeremias Schröder, Fr Patrick has concrete experience with AI. By gathering information from Benedictine Congregations and monasteries around the world, he used AI to compile and produce the Catalogus Monasteriorum O.S.B. in 2025. In addition to his knowledge of computer systems, platforms and programming languages, Fr Patrick received his Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Rome, in 2023.

The morning programme began with an exploration of foundational principles and concepts. Fr Patrick introduced artificial intelligence as a general-purpose technology, noting its growing integration into study, work and daily services. He stressed that its widespread application does not mean it has limitless capabilities, but rather requires an informed user. Whether one actively works with digital assistants or encounters them indirectly, understanding the technology empowers individuals to make discerning choices, verify results and maintain human judgement and responsibility.

Following a pause for coffee, the presentation shifted to the practical dimensions of working with artificial intelligence. The main focus was the challenge of engineering an effective prompt : the ability to formulate clear, specific requests to generate useful responses from the AI. Fr Patrick demonstrated how a well-crafted prompt yields significantly better outcomes than a vague inquiry, illustrating this through examples such as outlining an academic essay on the Codex Sinaiticus and drafting content for the Collegio website.

In a particularly relevant case study, Fr Patrick imagined a resident preparing a menu for a Tanzanian supper as part of the Collegio’s regular cultural celebrations. How would one communicate the necessary ingredients and recipes to the Italian kitchen staff? Fr Patrick showed how a generic request for an “African menu” fails to provide essential cultural context or language support. By refining the prompt to specify the target audience and the required linguistic nuances, he demonstrated how artificial intelligence can become a highly effective asset for cross-cultural communication within a diverse, international community.

The gathering concluded with a period of questions and answers, offering residents the opportunity to delve deeper into the practical implications of these tools and to share their perspectives and experiences with artificial intelligence.

This sharing is an important component of the Days of Formation, effectively allowing residents to participate in the formation of one another. In this way, Collegio Sant’Anselmo consistently strives to equip its community with the tools necessary to navigate an international, multicultural, modern landscape, and to apply the tradition of Saint Benedict to contemporary monastic life.